Robert Kirkman may have another major comic book move in the works, this time involving the classic Gold Key characters Turok, Solar and Magnus.
The report says that Kirkman has landed the Gold Key license for Image Comics and Skybound, with Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Solar: Man of the Atom and Magnus: Robot Fighter all said to be part of the deal.
The official announcement could come in July at San Diego Comic-Con, where creative teams and first artwork may also be revealed.
Robert Kirkman Reportedly Lands Gold Key Characters
Kirkman has already had big success at Skybound with Transformers and G.I. Joe after launching the Energon Universe through Image Comics.
Skybound also has the Universal Monsters license, which has included titles based on Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Creature From the Black Lagoon.
Now it sounds like Kirkman could be adding another batch of classic properties to the mix.
Bleeding Cool says Kirkman, or Skybound, has signed a deal to publish comics based on the Gold Key characters. The three names mentioned are Magnus: Robot Fighter, Solar: Man of the Atom, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.
Valiant Previously Published The Characters
The Gold Key characters are also tied to Valiant Entertainment in the minds of a lot of comic book fans.
Valiant famously revived Solar, Magnus and Turok in the 1990s as part of its original superhero line, alongside characters such as Bloodshot, Harbinger, Ninjak and X-O Manowar.
Valiant later moved on without the Gold Key characters, while other publishers, including Dark Horse and Dynamite, also took their own shots with the license.
It is probably safe to assume Kirkman’s new version, if the report pans out, will have nothing to do with Valiant.
This looks like a fresh start under Skybound and Image Comics.
Fans Already Have One Concern
The big question is how Skybound would handle the characters.
Kirkman launched Transformers and G.I. Joe into the same Energon Universe pretty quickly, and that approach has worked well for Skybound.
Some fans are already saying they hope Turok, Solar and Magnus are not immediately thrown into a crossover.
The better move might be to let each title stand on its own first. Turok does not need Solar showing up right away. Magnus does not need to be pulled into a shared universe before readers know what this version is.
Let the characters breathe, build the books, then worry about crossovers later.
Or obviously, the other approach is that Kirkman will launch another shared universe right away.
Who Are Turok, Solar and Magnus?
The Gold Key characters have a long history in comics, but they did not all start in the same place.
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing, launched in 1962 after Western split from Dell and began publishing comics under its own banner.
Gold Key became known for licensed titles based on TV shows, movies, cartoons and adventure properties, but it also had original sci-fi heroes like Doctor Solar and Magnus: Robot Fighter.
Turok is the oldest of the three. The character first appeared in Four Color Comics #596 in 1954, published by Dell Comics through Western Publishing, before moving into his own Turok, Son of Stone title. Gold Key later continued the series after Western launched the Gold Key line in the 1960s.
Turok is usually tied to a lost land filled with dinosaurs and prehistoric threats. For many modern fans, he is also the best-known of the three because of the Nintendo 64 video game series.
Solar came next. Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 launched from Gold Key in 1962 and followed Dr. Philip Solar, a nuclear scientist who gains energy-based powers after a radiation accident. The character became one of Gold Key’s signature original superheroes.
Magnus: Robot Fighter followed in 1963 with Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1. Created by Russ Manning, the series takes place in the future and follows Magnus, a human trained to fight rogue robots in the year 4000.
The three characters later became a major part of Valiant Comics in the 1990s, where they were folded into the same superhero universe as Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Harbinger and Ninjak. That is why a lot of fans still associate Turok, Solar and Magnus with Valiant, even though the characters came from Gold Key before that.
(note: featured image not official)
